Kocharethi

The first novel by the first tribal novelist of south India, Kocharethi maps the story of the Malayarayar tribe in Kerala. Melding history with culture, the work portrays their many struggles: from possession and dispossession of land to the challenges of preserving myths, rituals, social customs, and belief systems. Set in the 1930s, Kocharethi revolves around the Malayarayars, a tribe inhabiting the hilly terrains of mid-eastern Kerala. Drawing deeply from oral traditions to underscore the earthy tensions of an adivasi society, Narayan evokes Nature and the Great Spirits to unfold the Malayarayars' changing perceptions of land and its ownership, and documents a life system that is slowly fading into history. Translated by Catherine Thankamma, this volume includes a detailed Introduction by G.S. Jayasree as well as an in-depth interview with the author. The accompanying illustrations bring to life the story of a community that has remained largely unheard outside Kerala.